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| - Don't Tell Mama is a a cute little no frills piano bar in downtown Vegas. You're not going to be blown away by the hundreds of thousands the owners spent sprucing the place up just for your delicate sensibilities, 'cause they didn't. It's small and dark with tables and booths along the wall. Looks like a dive bar. Feels like a dive bar. LOVED IT! We went on a Wednesday night about 8:30 and stayed for a couple of hours. Started slow and started filling up more by about 9:30
Yes, there is a full bar. We stuck with beer so I won't be doing a review on the drinks beyond saying that the service was fast and friendly. I liked all of the staff there. The Blue Moon bottles were $6 but there's no cover charge. They cut off one guy who was obviously toasted and needed to leave, but without any fuss. It's nice to see things handled well.
The piano player, Kenny Davidson, was top notch. Ran through the standards you'd expect, Billy Joel, Elton John, Beatles, and such. Able to handle anything the audience threw at him. Fantastic, especially on the Elton John songs. You can't have a piano bar without a fantastic pianist, and Kenny was excellent.
The bartenders could sing their tails off. They did a number of covers that I recognized but couldn't tell you the names of the artists beyond a Miriah Carey and a Cher number. They were having a blast performing and really do have the chops for it. Very much appreciated!
Now, things came off the rails with the professionals dropping in for a little play time. One of Las Vegas' crown jewels, Savanah Smith, dropped in and did a few numbers. She started with a piece from Wicked that was as good as what we saw on Broadway several years ago. A jazz mash up followed that was even better. I haven't been been blown away like that by a vocalist in years and I'll freely admit to being a music snob.
A little later, an a cappella quartet, These Guys Acapella, dropped in for a set. Again, Wow! Looking them up later, I saw that they're out of L.A. Definitely worth seeing if you get the chance.
Don't Tell Mama is one of those places that you don't know what you're going to get, but it's going to be good, for the most part. One caveat: They do allow people in the audience to tip the pianist and get up and sing. Two of the folks were awful, but fortunately not too hard to ignore.
Good mix of tourists and locals. Just a fun time all the way around. It's hip little spot where you can let your hair down. You don't know who or what you're going see, and that's part of the fun.
The immediate area is fine. The surrounding area is rough. I'd park in the Fremont Experience parking or at the public parking lot next to the Container Park. I wouldn't park down some side street ten minutes away to save on paying for parking. There are plenty of bars, restaurants, and casinos all around the area, so it's not going to be difficult to make an evening of it.
One suggestion would be to bring enough cash to tip often. The bartenders bring around the tip bowl after their performances and push for tips for the pianist, too.
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